Fire-escape.



I. G. BARRINGTON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1911. 1,053,772. Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

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F. G. HARRINGTON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1911. 1,053,772, Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

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P. G, BARRINGTON. FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.25, 1911. 1,053,772. Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

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FRED G. BARRINGTON, 0F PORTSMOUTH, OHIO.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Application filed November 25, 1911.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

Serial No. 662,373;

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED G. BARRING'ION, a citizen of Great Britain,residing at Portsmouth, in the county of Scioto and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful, Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to fire escapes and more particularly to portablefire escapes.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient deviceof this character which may be cheaply constructed and which is of suchsize that it may be readily carried from point to point and which may becontinually set up in operative position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a fire escapeemploying a rope drum and which is provided with novel brake releasingmechanism so that the speed of the rope in unwinding from the drum maybe properly regulated to control the descent of the user of the device.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of means foradjusting the device to window frames of different widths and forclamping the mechanism in the frame after being adjusted.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the following specificdescription is read in connection with the accompanying drawings whichform a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation showing the device applied. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionthrough the device. Fig. 3 is a top plan view, the window frame beingshown in section. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5is a similar view on the line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a section on theline 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents a shaft whichis provided with a central bore 2 in which are slidably mounted the rackbars 3 and 4. These rack bars are engaged by spring pressed pawls 5having manipulating extensions 6 for withdrawing them from engagementwith the rack bars when necessary. The outer end of the rack bar 4 isreduced, as shown at 7, and revolubly mounted thereon is a bearing plate8 having a plurality of pointed projections 9 thereon adapted to enterthe frame of a Window which is indicated at 10. The reduced portion 7 ofthe rack bar is headed up as shown at 11 to prevent removal of theplate. The opposite rack bar 3 is provided with a longitudinal aperture12 in which is freely slidable a screw 13 reduced at its outer end toreceive a bearing plate 14 and being headed at 15 to prevent removal ofthe plate. This plate is also provided with the pointed projections 9 toenter the frame of the window. Threaded upon the screw 13 is a ratchetmember 16 which is engaged by a reversible pawl 17 carried in anoperating handle 18 whose head 19 is apertured to receive the nut and tosurround the screw 13. The nut is then abutted against the end of therack bar and is held in this position by means of an annular flange 20formed on the head 19 and by fingers 21 carried by the head and engagedover a flange 22 formed on the end of the rack bar.

The end of the shaft 1 having a rack bar 3 mounted therein is somewhatenlarged and squared so as to produce a shoulder 23 and a seat 24 for ayoke-shaped bracket 25, the purpose of which will be hereinafterdescribed. Journaled upon the shaft 1 between the shoulder 23 and acollar 26, adjustably keyed upon the shaft 1 is a drum 27 having flangedheads 28 and 29 between which the lowering cable 30 is positioned. Thehead 29 is provided with an annular channel 31 in which a band 32 isloosely mounted, said band having connected to its lower end through aclevis 33 the pulley block 34 over which the end of the cable 30 passes.A similar pulley block 35 has the cable passing thereover and it alsohas the terminal end of the cable attached. The end of this block isprovided with a ring 36 in which one of the hooks 37 of a snap connectoris engaged. The opposite snap 38 is adapted to be connected to a ring 39carried by a padded body belt 40.

Journaled in the legs of the yoke-shaped bracket 25 is a drum 41 aroundwhich a cable 42 is wound. This cable is provided with a weight 43 atits free end and passes over a pulley 44 on a horizontal projecting arm45 which is keyed to a transverse shaft 46 journaled in the legs of theyoke-shaped body below the drum. Upon the inner end of the shaft issecured a suitable head 47 having laterally extending eccentric pins 48which are engaged with the opposite ends of a brake band 49 whichsurrounds the head 29 of the drum and lies in a channel 50 formedtherein. The shaft 46 is also provided with a laterally projecting arm51 which is connected to the shaft 1 by a spring 52 which normallyrotates the shaft 46 in such a direction as to apply the brake band andstop the rotation of the drum.

The rope 42 is provided with a loop 53 adjacent its end, which closedloop is adapted to be engaged over a hook 54 carried by the shaft 1. Inorder to prevent the drum 41 from rotating too fast under the impetus ofthe weight 43 a friction spring 55 is secured to the shaft and bearsagainst one of the heads of the drum. A suitable guard arm 56 isprojected from the top of the shaft 1 above the drum so as to form arest for the window sash where such sash is not weight balanced.

In the operation of the device the drum is placed in the window framewith the lower sash fully raised and the rack bars eX- tended until theplates 8 and 13 engage the window frame. The lever 18 is then operatedto unscrew the nut from the screw,

which action forces the screw out of the rack bar and causes a relativeseparation of the plates 8 and 14, thus forcing their projections 9 intothe window frame and firmly securing the device in position, it beingunderstood that the pawls are in engagement wit-h the rack bar. The lifebelt is then placed around the breast of the user and the ring thereonconnected to the lower snap of the connector. The user then crawls outof the window feet first holding onto the window sill. His weight issupported by the cable 30, the drum being locked against rotationnormally by the action of the spring 52 makes it necessary for theoperator to give a slight pull upon the cable 42, which is firstdisengaged from the hook 54. This action depresses the arm 45 againstthe ten sion of the spring 52 and thus rotates the shaft 46 and releasesthe brake band from the drum. By proper manipulation of the cable 42 thespeed of descent may be properly regulated. In removing the device fromthe window frame the pawl 17 is re versed and the lever 18 operated asbefore to screw the nut 16 upon the screw 13.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In a fire escape, a shaft, means for holding said shaft in the Windowframe, a drum rotatably mounted on the shaft, a cable on the drum, aband journaled on the drum and connected to one of the terminals of thecable, pulleys on the cable and a body belt adapted to be removably connected to the pulleys.

2. In a fire escape, a shaft, means for holding the shaft in a windowframe or the like, a drum revolubly mounted on the shaft, a supportingcable carried by the drum, a brake band surrounding the drum, means tonormally hold the brake band against the drum, a second drum carried bythe shaft, a weighted cable on the second drum, an operating armcarrying a pulley to receive said weighted cable and an operativeconnection between the arm and the means for holding the brake band onthe drum.

In testimony whereof I affix my signa' ture in presence of twowitnesses.

FRED Gr. BARRINGTON.

Witnesses: L. H. SIELING, JOHN NEU.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. a

